Display-rack.



L. FELDMAN, JR. 61: T. E. URECELIUS. DISPLAY RACK. APPLICATION FILED JAN. so, 1913.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

ms mamas PETERS co., wasnmcmm n. c.

Patented $111.26, 1915.

L. PELDMAN, JR. & T. E. OREOELIUS.

Patented J an. 26, 1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEETZ.

19: NORRIS- FETERS 2a., WASHINGTON, n c.

llNITD TS AT UFIQE LOUIS FELDMAN, JB., AND THEODORE E. CREGELIUS, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, ASSIGN- ORS: 'IO MULTIPLEX DISPLAY FIXTURE CQIVIPANY, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, A. COR- PORA'IION OF MISSOURI.

DISPLAY-RACK.

manner.

Application filed January 30, 1813.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that we, LOUIS FELDMAN, J12, and Trinonons E. GRncnLrUs, citizens of the United States, residing at the city of St. Louis, State of Missouri, have jointly invented certain new and useful Improvements in Display-Racks, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part hereof, in which Figure l is a top plan view of our new display rack with the canopy removed; Fig. 2 is a front elevational view of the same; Fig. 3 is a detail sectional view, somewhat enlarged, on the line 3-3, Fig. 2; Fig. l is a side elevational view of our new display rack; and Fig. 5 is a transverse vertical sectional view, partly broken away, taken approximately through the central portion of our new display rack.

This invention relates generally to display racks and, more particularly, to cer tain new and useful improvements in display-rack standards, the objects of our present invention being to provide an efiicient, substantially all-metallic and self-supportable standard of the kind stated which is simple in construction, which may be economically and comparatively cheaply manufactured, which is made up of few separate parts or members and the several parts or members of which may be readily and easily assembled and disassembled and compactly packed for shipment, which is not only adapted to swingably support wings or panels for the exhibition and display of articles of merchandise of various kinds both light and heavy in weight, such as framed and unframed pictures, maps and charts, stationery, dry goods, hardware, drug sundries, and many other lines of merchandise, but of which also, to increase or enlarge the display capacity of the completed rack, parts or members are themselves adapted and designed for the display of goods and articles of merchandise, and which has relatively great strength and is capable of standing up under heavy load and, under load, of resiliently taking care of and absorbing strains and stresses, and to improve generally upon racks of the kind described.

With these and other objects in view, our invention resides in certain novel features of construction, arrangement, and combina- Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented J an. 26, 1%315.

Serial No. 745,178.

tion of parts, all as will hereinafter be described and afterward pointed out in the claims.

As shown in the accompanying drawings, our new display rack comprises substantially a standard or main frame A and a plurality of wings or panels B pivotally or swmgably mounted in and supported by standard Standard A is made up of or comprises substantially upper and lower spaced apart parallel horizontally disposed or cross members 1-l, respectively, in the form preferably of tubular metallic rods or bars of suitable length and diameter and end or side members 2-2 in the form preferably of rectangular Lip-standing frames operatively secured or connected to the ends of, and presented forwardly from, and preferably at right angles to, said upper and lower cross members ll, and providing rear and front supporting legs for the finished or completed rack. Each of said end members 22 comprises substantially a rear upright or vertically-disposed preferably tubular metallic rod or bar 3 of suitable size and diameter and to which said cross members 1 and 1 at their ends are directly secured or connected, a similar and substantially parallel upright or verticallydisposed rod or bar 3 spaced from, and arranged forwardly of, rear upright rod or bar 3, an upper horizontally-disposed or cross member a also preferably a tubular metallic rod or bar of suitable size and diameter extending between, and rigidly secured or fixed in any suitable manner, preferably by electric welding, at its opposite ends to said upright members 33 at or adjacent the upper endsthereof, and a sec- 0nd or lower and substantially similar horizontallydisposed or cross member at extending between, and rigidly fixed at its ends to, said upright members 33 at some distance downwardly from said upper cross member 4: and preferably at some distance upwardly from the lower ends of upright members 3-3, the portions of said upright members 3-3 below lower cross member 4: being adapted to provide rear and front supporting legs for the finished or completed standard.

Fixed at one end by means of pins or rivets 5 in, and having their shanks extending outwardly from the opposite ends of,

upper and lower main cross members 1 and a ceive securing-nuts 7, as shown particularly in Fig. 8.

1n operatively assembling upper and lower cross members 1 and 1 and end or side members 22, upper cross member 1 is arranged .between rear upright members 3 of end members 2 at or adjacent the upper ends thereof and the projecting shanks of its said bolts 6 passed through suitable openings provided therefor in said upright members 5, similarly lower cross member 1 is arranged between said upright members 3 at some distance downwardly from upper cross member 1, and preferably, for the purpose o1" elevating above the plane of the floor or other supporting surface the wings or panels B supported by or hung in standard A, at some distance upwardly from the lower ends of said upright members 3, the projecting shanks of its bolts 6 being likewise passed through suitable openings provided therefor in upright members 3. Nuts 7 are then threaded upon the projecting ends of said bolts 6, whereupon said upper and lower cross members 1 and 1 and end members 2-2 are iirmly and rigidly, but detachably secured together and form when so secured together what might be said to be the framework of our new self-supportable up-standing display-wing or panel standard A, which, as seen in Fig. 1, is substantially U-shaped in plan elevation. In use, the lower supporting leg portions of upright members 3 and 3 of end members 2 are preferably mounted or fixed in "feet or base members 8 having rearwardly-projecting integral toe-pieces 9, as

shown in Figs. 4t and 5, which may, it desired, be fixed by screws or other suitable means to the floor or other supporting surface. Preferably the opposite ends of upper and lower cross members 1 and 1 are oppo 'sitely inwardly cut-away or concaved to neatly fit the outer diameter of said upright members and 3, and that the shanks of bolts 6 may lie and be firmly held parallel with cross members 1 and 1., for obvious reasons, fillers or blocks 10 fitting therearound in said cross members 1 and 1 are preferably provided, as shown particularly in Fig. 3. Each of said leaves 13 comprises inner and outer upright or vertically-dis posed preferably. tubular metallic rods or bars 1111, respectively, of suitable size and diameter and upper and lower horizontally-disposed or cross members 12 and 12, respectively, likewise preferably tubular metallic rods or bars of corresponding size and diameter rigidly secured or held together in any suitable manner, preferably by electric welding. These wings B are preferably swingably mounted in and sup ported by main cross members 1 and 1 of standard A, and to that end inner upright bar 11 of each wing B, which bar, will be seen, forms the hinge-axis of the wing, is provided at its opposite ends with pintle extensions or trunnions 13-13 adapted to pivotally engage, respectively, with cross members 1 and 1 of standard A, as shown particularly in Fig. 5. These pivots or trunnions 13-13 are preferably of unequal length, upper pivot or trunnion 13 being somewhat longer than lower pivot or trunnion 13, so that a wing B may be easily and readily placed into operative position in, or .removedfrom, standard A, lower pivot being adapted to rest or seat in lower cross member 1 or standard A and upper pivot 13 being adapted to be inserted into and extend through a suitable alining opening in upper cross member 1 of standard A, as shown clearly in Fig. 5.

It will, of course, be understood that cross members 1 and 1 of standard A may, within their capacity or limit, be provided with any desirable number of alining openin s or recesses to provide for a corresponding number of wings B. It will also be understood that wings B, which we have here shown merely as open frames, are, when supplied or furnished to customers and users, suitably filled, as, for instance, with either wire and shown in the application of Crecelius for Letters Patent for wings or leaves for display racks filed August 5, 1912, and serially numbered 713,291, for the carrying thereupon of the goods or articles of merchandise to be exhibited or displayed. Correspondingly, to increase or enlarge the display capacity of our new rack, the upper portion 0'! each end member 2, or the area thereof lying between upright members 3 and 3 and cross members 4: and 4, is preferably filled with a wood panel 14 held in position by screws or other suitable means 15 and pretera bly covered with burlap or other suitable fabric 16, for the display thereupon of additional goods or articles of merchandise, this panel being also adapted to brace tubular members 33 and 41- 1 of the end member 2 and thereby strengthen the completed or finished standard. To further brace end members 2 of standard A and thereby strengthen end members 2 to stand up under heavy loads, the leg portions of upright members and 3 of each end member 2 are provided, respectively, with collars or blocks 17 and 17 fitting thereupon and adapted to be oppositely slidably adjusted thereon, each A, collar or block 17 is slidably moved or adjusted upwardly on rear upright member 3 and collar 17 is slidably moved or adjust-- ed downwardly upon front upright member 3 and, on collars 17 and 1'? bein adjusted the proper distance diagonally apart relatively to each other to accommodate or re ceive brace rod 19, they are fixed in such adjusted position on set screws or the like 20 seated therein being threaded into binding engagement with upright members 3 and 3 brace rod 19 is then engaged with collars 17-47 with its bent ends or extensions preferably presented inwardly, as shown in Figs. 4 and 5, after which set screws 21. seated in lug-portions 18 of blocks 17 and 17, screwed into binding engagement with the bent ends of rod 19 to removably hold or secure rod 19 in operative position.

Wings B and their carried loads pulling forward on upper cross bar 1 and correspondingly pushing backward on lower cross bar 1, cross bars 1 and 1 are subjected to more or less lateral or transverse strains tending to rupture or buckle the same at right angles thereto; to take care of these lateral or transverse strains on main cross bars 1. and 1 and to brace and strengthen the same, as well as the finished or completed rack, we provide cross members 1 and 1 with oppositely presented adjustable brace or tension rods 2" and 24:, respectively, disposed or extending lengthwise thereof and in approximately the same respective horizontal planes, tension rod 22 passing over a strut member 23 suitably secured or fixed to, and projecting forwardly and centrally from, upper cross member 1 and having its opposite ends preferably hooked into or otherwise engaged with cross member 1 at or adjacent the opposite ends thereof, and similarly tension rod 24 passing over a strut member 25 suitably secured or fixed to, and projecting rearwardly and centrally from, lower cross member 1 and having its opposite ends likewise preferably hooked into or otherwise engaged with cross member 1 at or adjacent the opposite ends thereof, all as shown particularly in Figs. 1 and 2, the tension of said rods being adjustable by turn-buckles a, as will be well understood. And to prevent endwise or longitudinal. swaying and bending or buckling of standard A and thereby additionally brace and strengthen the same, we provide a pair of oppositely-disposed diagonal adjustable tension rods 26-26, tension rod 26 having its lower end hooked into or otherwise engaged with a perforated ear or lug portion 27 on one rear foot or base member 8 and its opposite end hooked into or otherwise engaged with opposite upright member 3 at or adjacent the upper end thereof, and tension rod 26 having its lower end hooked into or engaged with a similar perforated ear or lug 27 on the opposite rear foot or base member 8 and its other end hooked into or engaged with opposite upright memher 3 at or adjacent the upper end thereof,

as shown particularly in Fig. the tension of said rods 26 and 26 liieing adjustable by turnbuckles 3).

To prevent dust, dirt, and the like from falling or settling upon wings or leaves 1% and the articles of merchandise displayed thereupon, we preferably mount in any suitable manner upon the upper ends of upright members 3 and 3 of end members .2 a suitable canopy G of any suitable or desirable construction. It may be here stated that panels H to a certain extent similarly protect wings B from the sides, and while not shown herein, it will be obvious that, if desired, a suitable curtain of fabric or other suitable material to entirely inclose standard A and. wings B and thereby protect the same from dust and dirt may be attached in any desirable manner to canopy C and depend therefrom.

As shown in Fig. 2, one or more intermediate supporting legs 98 for standard A may be provided, if desired; and it may be here further stated that front supporting feet 3 of standard A are preferably of a length relatively to rear supporting feet 3 as to throw upper cross member 1 slightly rearwardly of the vertical plane of lower cross member 1 and thereby facilitate the unfolding or swinging of a leaf or wing B after it has once been started, gravity automatically completing the swinging of a leaf or wing B after it has once passed a plane at right angles to the plane of standard A. Thus an operator or user, in displaying goods, is required to only swing a leaf or wing B through an arc suflicient to bring the leaf or wing slightly past degrees to the plane of standard A, when gravity, by reason of the inclination of the axis of the wing or leaf, will automatically swing the wing or leaf to its limit.

The construction described provides a neat, easily assembled or disassembled, and comparatively simple display rack of relatively great strength and one fulfilling in every respect the objects hereinbefore stated.

Ve are aware that minor changes in the arrangement, construction, and combination of the several parts of our new display rack may be made and substituted for those herein shown and described without in the least departing from the nature and principle of our invention.

Having thus described our invention. what we claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a display-rack standard, the combination with a pair of spaced-apart horizontally-disposed parallel metallic crossmembers and metallic end members in the form of rectangular upstanding frames presented forwardly from the ends of said cross-members, said end members providing rear and frontsupporting legs for the standard, of means for reinforcing and bracing said cross members to Withstand backward and forward lateral strains, said means comprising a pair of substantially parallel strutsupported tension rods extending lengthwise of, and engaging at their opposite ends with, said cross members and lying substantially in the respective horizontal planes, but projecting oppositely beyond the vertical plane, of said cross-members, substantialy as and for the purposes described.

2. In a display-rack standard, an end member comprising a pair of spaced-apart parallel upright metallic members, a pair of spaced-apart metallic cross-members extending between, and fixed at their opposite ends to, said upright members, the portions of said upright members below said cross-members providing supporting legs for the standard, collars 011 the leg-portions of said upright members, and a brace-rod disposed within the vertical plane of said cross and upright members and engaging at its opposite ends with said collars; substantially as described.

3. In a display-rack standard, an end member comprising a pair of spaced-apart Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing ends to, said upright members, the portions of said upright members below said crossmembers providing supporting feet for the standard, collars adjustably fitting on the leg portions of said upright members, a brace-rod disposed within the vertical plane of said upright and cross-members and engaging at its opposite ends with said collars, and means on said collars for engaging said upright members to hold said collars in adjusted positions thereon; substantially as described.

4. In a display rack standard, an end member comprising a pair of spaced-apart upright tubular bars, a pair of spaced-apart tubular cross bars extending between, and fixed at their ends to, said upright bars, and a bracing panel disposed within the vertical plane of, and secured to, said bars; substantially as described.

In testimony whereof, we have signed our names to this specification, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

LOUIS FELDMAN, JR. THEODORE E. CRECELIUS.

Witnesses ZELMA. PINCUS, RUTH PETERSON.

the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C.

a pair of 

